Ruptured Gas Line Forces Evacuations

July 29, 1999|By Eric Ferkenhoff, Tribune Staff Writer.

WHEELING — Several Wheeling businesses and dozens of homes were evacuated for several hours Wednesday afternoon after a high-pressure natural gas main was ruptured at a road construction site along Elmhurst Road near Dennis Road.

It was the fourth such incident since a road project began in September, authorities said. No injuries were reported in any of the four occurrences.

Police and fire personnel cleared out nearby homes and businesses and shut down long stretches of Elmhurst and Dundee Roads, two of the busiest streets in the area, for most of Wednesday afternoon.

Nicor officials said they were notified of the break at 1:24 p.m. and dispatched crews to repair the 4-inch main.

Officials theorized the mishap occurred when a heavy backhoe ran over an underground main, apparently snapping a connector that rose to the surface.

Help was requested from neighboring police departments in notifying area workers and residents, some of whom were evacuated from the Dunhurst East subdivision to Park District recreation centers. Nicor said the line was capped shortly after 4 p.m. allowing residents and workers to return to their homes and businesses by early evening.

The Illinois Department of Transportation began a project to reconstruct two miles of Elmhurst Road (Illinois Highway 83) between Palatine and Dundee Roads last September.

The contractor, Ganna Construction, is widening the road, installing turn lanes and replacing traffic signals. The project is scheduled to be finished in late October.